ABP invests £6m in new hydraulic cranes across the business

ABP’s cranes are currently under construction, the image above is an example of the 200M Mantsinen crane which has been ordered for the Port of Garston. Picture courtesy of Cooper Specialised Handling

ABP has ordered five new hydraulic cranes worth £6 million to be used across the Group while providing a UK supplier with one of the largest tenders of its type.

As part of ABP’s commitment to delivering the best service for customers and our £1bn investment programme across our ports, five Mantsinen hydraulic cranes have been purchased for the ports of Ipswich, King’s Lynn, Teignmouth, Garston and Swansea.

Amongst the five new cranes will be the Mantsinen 200M, the world’s largest hydraulic crane, which will be operated at the Port of Garston. The 280 tonne crane will be first 200M to come to the UK.

A 90M wheeled machine has been ordered for the Port of Teignmouth and two near-identical 120M will be delivered to the ports of Swansea and King’s Lynn. An order for a 95R tracked machine has been placed for the Port of Ipswich.

ABP Short Sea Ports Director Andrew Harston said: “ABP is dedicated to putting our customers first. That is why we are continuing to invest in brand-new equipment and technology to ensure we can offer our customers the highest possible standards of service and innovative solutions.

“We have been pleased to work with Cooper Specialised Handling. Each port has its own handling needs dependent on vessel sizes, load commodities and in some cases, very specific ground loading requirements.”

Tony Rooney, Managing Director of Cooper Specialised Handling, was keen to clarify the methodology of the process, saying: “This wasn’t a single contract for five machines, but rather five individual contracts each involving the provision of one crane.

“The five ABP sites had complete freedom of choice in terms of their handling solution and we are delighted that, completely independently, each port selected Mantsinen as its preferred equipment.”